30 + 1 monkey

It’s laundry day here – which means 30 socks hanging to dry.  It’s really not onerous at all.  I run some lukewarm water in the kitchen sink, add a teaspoon of no-rinse wool wash (currently finishing a bottle of Eucalan), toss the socks in, swish lightly, and walk away for 20 minutes.  Then I come back, squeeze the socks out gently, put them on a big bath towel on the floor, and wrap them up like a burrito to press out more water.  Hang to dry.  The extra humidity they add to our indoor air is quite welcome in the winter. 

Some of my handknit socks do just fine in the washer – most notably, the ones knit from that sturdy German sock yarn (Opal, Regia, etc.).  I still wash them on cool delicate and hang to dry.  But the ones made from softer yarn really do benefit from hand washing.  The lack of agitation in the wash cycle means that the soft fibers don’t pill and fuzz as quickly.  It also helps to wash them inside out, but I often don’t bother…

In other knitting news, Monkey Number One is done.  Pretty! Number Two is nearly ready for its heel.

I’ve also felted the crazy colorwork bag, but I don’t have photos - yet.